Leslie Norman Movies
British producer and filmmaker Leslie Norman began his long association with the film industry at age 16 working for Warners' Teddington Studios. He remained there through WWII and became supervising editor. After the war, he worked for Ealing Studios as a producer, making his directorial debut with The Night My Number Came Up in 1955. Norman became a television director in the early '60s and worked on such series as The Avengers (1966-1969). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1939
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A stage play by the astonishingly prolific Edgar Wallace was the source for the British melodrama Case of the Frightened Lady. The story focuses on the aristocratic Lebanon family, with Dowager Lady Lebanon (Helen Hayes) harboring a Deep Dark Secret. It seems that every generation or so, the Lebanon clan produces a homicidal maniac. The unfortunate candidate this time around seems to be Lord Willis Lebanon (Marius Goring), a fact that the Dowager Lady hopes to hide from the world. Alas, blood will tell and murder will out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marius Goring, Helen Haye, (more)
- 1939
It took two directors to bring this modest British thriller to the screen. The story concerns a gang of international jewel thieves, headed by a "mystery man" who is never seen and who communicates with his minions through a microphone. Rival criminal Jacques LeClerq (Sebastian Shaw) gains the gang's confidence, joining them on their biggest caper. Only when it's too late to back out does LeClerq reveal that he's actually a member of the French police. Without revealing the identity of the criminal mastermind, it's worth noting that one of the actors plays a dual role, a fact spelled out in the opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sebastian Shaw, Anna Konstam, (more)
- 1935
Hay Petrie ingests the scenery as the demonic, hunchbacked Mr. Quilp in this 1935 British adaptation of Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop. Quilp is the wicked landlord who dominates and later ruins the lives of shopkeeper Trent (Ben Webster) and his resourceful granddaughter Little Nell (Elaine Benson). The death of the heroine, which created quite a brouhaha when the book was first published, is here handled with discretion and taste. Scenarists Margaret Kennedy and Ralph Neale successfully tackle the challenge of whittling Dickens' massive novel into a playable 90 minutes. The Old Curiosity Shop would be remade three times, once as a musical with Anthony Newley as Quilp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Webster, Elaine Benson, (more)
- 1935
World-renowned operatic tenor Richard Tauber not only starred in Heart's Desire, but also wrote most of the songs. Tauber is cast as Joseph Steidler, a popular but relatively unknown Vienesse beer-garden singer. Discovered by a show-biz entrepreneur, Steidler is suddenly catapulted to fame and fortune. Alas, in the process he loses his sweetheart Anna (Kathleen Kelly) tossing her aside in favor of glamorous socialite Frances (Leona Wilson). By the time Steidler learns that he's out of his depth in High Society, it's almost too late. Filmed in 1935, Heart's Desire made it to American shores in 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Tauber, Leonora Corbett, (more)
- 1935
Mimi is based on Murger's La Vie de Boheme, with operatic snatches from Puccini's La Boheme occasionally thrown in. The very healthy-looking Gertrude Lawrence seems an odd casting choice for the consumptive Mimi, whose tragic romance with starving artist Rodolfe (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) in Paris' Latin Quarter provides the film's dramatic thrust. Director Paul Stein has spared nothing to make the film as historically accurate as possible; unfortunately, Stein has also robbed the story of much of its vitality in the process. Fans of Gertrude Lawrence couldn't have been happy that her singing was confined to only one tune, and a forgettable one at that. Originally released at 98 minutes, Mimi is currently available only in its 62-minute American release version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gertrude Lawrence, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., (more)
- 1933
Hollywood's Charles Bickford and Mexican leading lady Raquel Torres top the cast of the British circus melodrama Red Wagon. Bickford plays Joe, an expert trick rider, while Torres is his fiery gypsy dancer Sheba. Though in love with tiger trainer Zara (Greta Nissen), Joe breaks up with her over a foolish misunderstanding and marries Sheba as consolation. A climactic confrontation with a rival circus man forces Joe to confront the mistakes he's made in his life. Red Wagon was adapted from a novel by Edward Knoblock, of Kismet fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bickford, Raquel Torres, (more)
- 1930
In this British crime drama, a Yankee crook uses a garage owner's son as his alibi after he robs a bank and shoots a cop. A Scotland Yard investigator is behind him. He is just about to catch the crook, when the crook shoots him. The police then close in on the killer, but then his girl friend threatens to kill a policeman and the murderer escapes. In the end, just desserts are served when his girl runs him over with her car. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernard Nedell, Joyce Kennedy, (more)
